House Speaker to Stand Trial on Graft Charges for Embezzling Funds Related to E-KTP Project

House of Representatives Speaker and graft suspect Setya Novanto arrives at the offices of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) in South Jakarta late on Sunday night (19/11) after doctors at Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital decided he no longer needed to be hospitalized. (Antara Photo/Rosa Panggabean)

Jakarta. Defiant graft detainee Setya Novanto will soon stand trial as the House of Representatives speaker's case dossiers have officially been declared complete, an antigraft spokesman said on Tuesday (05/12).

The move ended a months-long investigation against Setya, who was recharged in late October for embezzling funds related to the implementation of national electronic identity cards, known as e-KTP.

The naming of Setya as a graft suspect in mid-July was declared "procedurally flawed" in late September by a Jakarta court where Setya had lodged a pretrial motion to get his case removed.

But antigraft investigators have managed again to bring charges against Setya, said Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) spokesman Priharsa Nugraha.

"The process of investigation into the case with S.N. as a suspect has already concluded and has been declared complete," Priharsa said in a statement late on Tuesday night, referring to Setya by his initials.

"A formal aspect of the subsequent handover of the suspect and the dossiers from investigtors to prosecutors will be processed further," Priharsa said.

In typical KPK proceedings, prosecutors file a complete dossier against a suspect to the antigraft court in order to commence the scheduling of the trial.

Setya stands accused of having embezzled Rp 574 billion ($42 million) from the Rp 5.9 trillion procurement of e-KTP that caused the state to lose Rp 2.3 trillion.

The House Speaker has repeatedly failed to show up for KPK questioning as a suspect as well as a witness in the case and has denied any wrongdoing. Setya had also made attempts to evade arrest before eventually being placed in custody in late November.

The non-active Golkar party chairman could face up to 20 years in jail if found guilty.